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_,_._.__â€"__.._ ._..___.._â€"â€". WW. -____________â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"-â€"â€"~â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"-â€""â€"â€"‘ o a?mm+n+n+n+n+n+n+n+n+nn+n+o+n+ommmmmmfi +‘ ’ * ltf 33? g, 3 + ‘ + DE 9 .3 at it 3 at M“ a g 0?? g, ,5, THE 5 EWARD’S SON 3 + .+' 33$ , W+fi+fi+§+fi+m+fi+l§+t€+fi +Q+fi+§+fi+d+l§+fi+fi+fi+fi+fi CHAPTER XXXI. A quarter of an hour later Guildford Berton was walking towards his cot- tage. He was burning hot, as if with fever, and he took off his hat and let the cold evening air blow upon his parched forehead. - The love of a bad man, we are told by one of those philosophers who seem to know everything, is very near akin ’0 hate, and at that moment Guildford Ber- ton was not quite sure whether he loved or hated Norah most. But he meant to make her his wife as firmly as he had ever meant it. He could scarcely say that he was surâ€" prised or disappointed by her refusal. He had not gone so far as to hope that she would accept him, and it was someâ€" thing that he had, so to speak, broken the ground. “She knows now that I love her,” he muttered, as he walked along with re- vei‘isli steps and restless eyes. “She Will grow accustomed to the knowledge presently, andâ€"â€"and ' in time will dis-t O + through the window at the heap in the garden, just .as he used to do before he left for London; but the night was too dark for him to see anything, and, with an oath, he dropped the blind and be- gan to undress. “Curse the place and everything in it!" he muttered as he got into bed. “I wish it were burnt down." Then he succeeded in distracting his mind from the one haunting fear, and forced himself to think of Norah, and s) fell into an uneasy, restless doze. He had not been asleep more than an hour when he woke suddenly with the dim consciousness that he had been awak- ened by some kind of noise. He sat up and listened, and for a time all was silent, and he was about :0 throw himself back, when he heard a. faint noise, which seemed to come from the room beneath, the room in which Becca hadwdied. T be cold sweat gathered upon his face, and he sat shivering and quaking, with his ears strained painfully, trynig to per- suade himself that it was only fancy. cover that it is useless to fight againsit But. as ‘he listened with an agonize'l it. It is a question of will, and mine st stronger than hers. If I had only kept my temper more under controll But that look on her face and that ‘Gol’ it laughed a ghastly laughâ€"J‘it was worse was worse"-â€"â€"he wiped his forehead andi aculcness he distinctly heard the noise again. It was the sound of footsteps, muflled and cautious of some rone mov- ing in the. room below. -.-' He got out of bed, and. slipping on some clothes, stole to the door. Then than the old man’s n lh "n ‘7 ~ . taken ill. I wonder-Off heehldtiri'idlarffcl‘h: he smnw a ghastly smile or reassur- ' ance; the noise no doubt was made by derstood what we were saying?” and he . . ' . -..- laughed again. “If he did, I have had my $8,813“ gj’féggggdwgg :1“ revenge already. But I must be careful.l having left the brandy decanter not My luck has stood by me up till lately, locked up up to the night I showed the old fool my hand. Is it going to turn?" As he asked himself the question he reached the gate in the wall, and took out his key. 7 He had not deemed it necessary to ac- quaint the old woman of his intended “I'll give the bag a fright," he mut- tered, and he went to a drawer and took out an old-fashioned pistol, and, loading it with a blank charge, crept, with it in his hand, to the head of the stairs. All was silent again now, but he knew ralv ‘ . . ‘ L um‘ and as he Opened um dam and! that he had heard the noise and not entered the silent and gloomy house she came out with a lamp in her hand, and eyed him with dull and stolid surprise. “Is it all right?” he motioned on his fingers. “Yes,” she sighed. “And no one has been here?" he asked. “No,” she answerer ; “no one.” He nodded and signed to her that. she could go to bed, and then, taking the lamp from her, went into the small sit- ting-room. He had no sooner done so than back flashed upon his mind the ren'iembrance ofâ€"llecca South! He had been so engrossed of late by his‘ pursuit of Norah that he had almost. forgotten the other awful thing whichi had haunted him, but now here it was] back again in all its potent horror. He set the lamp upon the table and looked around the room with a shiver. It struck cold and damp, and it was full of the terrible scene of the night of his crime. He buttoned his coat across his chest, and going to the sideboard, got out some brandy and mixed himself a drink, but even the powerful spirit could not dispel the chill which had so swiftly taken the place of the feverish heat in which he had left the Court, and he merely dreamed that he had done so, and slowly and cautiously he descended the stairs. Although he was prepared for it, the sight of a thin streak of light coming through the parity open doorway of the sitting-room gave him a start, and, with a stifled oath, he moved forward on tip- toe, and softly pushed the door more widely open and peered round it. Then he fell back and clutched the pis- tol tightly, for it was not the bent, de‘ crepit figure of the old woman he saw within the room, but that of a man. Now, Guildford Berton was not alto- gether a coward, and the shock to his over-strained nerves, weakened by the copious droughts of spirits, could not be set down entirely to fear. After a moment or two he collected himself, and peered around the door again, and this time the start that fol- lowed was one of recognition. A man was kneeling beside the table prying open a desk with a clasp knife, and by the light which fell from an ordinary candle stuck into a piece of wood Guildford Berton saw that the thief was the man with the rugged face and bushy eyebrows who had lain on the struck a match and lit the fire ready bench outside the inn on the day he had :made in‘lhe small and poky grate. the wood was damp, and the grate would not draw, and presently the lniy, sullen flame died out. He knew that if he went to bed cold and chilled he should not sleep. and be lit the lantern to light him to the wood- shed. But when he reached the garden he turned to the left instead of the right where the shed lay, and slowly, went down the path to the heap' of leaves. Holding the lantern near the ground, he peered at the heap keenly and shud- deringly. ‘ » . _It.was just as he left it, and he seemed to remember the po‘sition of every stone and protuberance. “It is all right," he muttered between his teeth, but he did not go immediately. Instead he stood and stared down as if overcome with a sudden stupor. Then, with an oath, he pulled himself together, and, resolutely turning nis eyes away from the heap, went to the, shed and got some wood. , When he got back to the house he felt in his pocket for his n'ialchbox and found it, but suddenly missed his keys. This staggered him, and he stood staring at the fire vacantly, then he ferccd a smile. “I am a feel,” he mutteritd. them in the gate" Willi the lantern in his hand he wont down the garden. and found that, as he had thought, he. had left the key attach- ed to the bunch, sticking in the keyhole of the wall door Cursing himself for his stupidity, l-e locked the door, and. with the keys in his hand. returned to the parlor. The fire was burning up, and he drew his chair close and sat huddled up over the blaze, and went. over the scene with Norah. lut every now and then there. came a ghastly pause in his reflections, and in' that pause the ghost of his crime stalked across his mind, and made the silence of thecold, damp little room truly hideous. He got some more brandy at intervals, and at last succeeded in producing the exhaustion which is the ghastly imita- tion of wholesome sleepiness Then he rose, and with a final drnik went heavily upstairs. But, exhausted as he was. he. instinc- uuniw mulch aside She blind and s.arc.i “I've left But been making inquiries into Becca South’s disappearance. Guildford Berton drew back and pen- dered, clutching the pistol hard and fast, and holding his breath. I That the man was a thief or an ordin- ary housebreakcr he had no doubt, but he was puzzled to account for his, pre- sence there. No burglar worthy of his salt, he thought, would. break into so mean and unpromising a place as the cottage, unless he were sure of finding valuables, and it was not likely that any... burglarwould imagine that a sensible man would trust his money or jewels to a crazy old desk. Why he had broken into the cottage tr-night of all nighlsnthe night of the owner‘s returnâ€"â€"when he might have done so during that owner’s absence? He could find no solution to the enig- ma. Suddenly the suspicion swept over him like a breath of ice that the man had come to find out something about-« about Becca South, and the sweat broke out upon his forehead. But he thrust the suspicion from him. Even if he had done so he would not have taken the trouble to break open a desk. What was there in it? Ile tried to think, but could ren'ien'ibcr nothing but some papers, of no importance, rc- ferring to business of the estates, which he had flung in carelessly from time to time. There was absolutely nothing there which could repay any burglar. however hard up, for his trouble. ‘ By this time-«a period of only a few minutes had elapsed-«the man Furlong, was turning over the contents. Thev were, as has been stated, papers of no niterest to any one, least of all to a stranger but suddenly Guildford Berton saw the man start, and, catching up something~a piece of cardboard it look- ed like~hold it near the candle. Whatever it. was he seemed absorbed in it, and Berton seized the auspicious moment, and quietly slid round the door and presented the pistol at the man's head. “Move a step and I fire,” he said. The man raised his head and did not move, but his hand slid into the pocket of his coat. and remained there as he said, quietly and slowly “Don‘t. fire. Mr. Berton. I've not nah + covered by a revolver in my pocket, and I’m a dead shot." The next instant he had whipped out a revolver and presented it at Guildford Berton. “Now,” he said, deliberately as before, “we are on all fours, and I fancy my weapon is rather a better one than that here affair of yours. Shake your finger on that trigger, and. you are a dead man." Guildford Berton and confronted white face. “What are you doing here?” Mr. Furlong kept his revolver pointed with deadly precision. “Put that thing down and keep quiet. and I'll tell you." ' Almost. mechanically the pistol was laid on the table. Still keeping the revolver pointed, Furlong took up the pistol and thrust it into his pocket, then he laid his revolver on the table within reach of his hand, and looked at Guildford Berton steadily. (To be continued). lowered his pistol, his adversary with a ._.__._+_.__.â€". COST OF THE GREAT WAR THE RUSSIAN BUDGET PLACES [’1‘ AT $450,000,000. Repatriation of Troops in Far East and Reduction or Army Will Cost $52,500,000. The Russian budget statement for 1900 shows that it will be necessary to raise $240,500,000 by credit operations to~bal- once the estimated receipts and expendi- tures. The latter include $202,500,000 for the liquidation of the expenses of the Russo-Japanese war, the repatriation of the troops in the far east and the rcduo tion of the army to a peace footing. For the first time the total cost- of the war, $1,150,000,000, is revealed. The credit operations to balance the budget include the recent authorization of $200,000,010 in treasury bonds, $75,000,000 of which have already been used to renew the Mendelssohn loan, and the credit, $160,- 000,000, which former Finance Minister Kukovsol‘i is now negotiating in Paris. The primary object of the latter, the pro- ceeds of which will be retained in Paris, is understood by the Associated Press to be the maintenance of the stability of the rouble. REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE. The budget. for 1906 estimates the or- dinary revenue at $108,929,387, and the ordinary expenditure at $1,009,038,- 275. The extraordinary revenue is esti- mated at $1,000,000, plus $240,557,000, from impending credit operations, and the extraordinary expenditure at $240,- 448,112. The total revenue and expendi- ture balance at $355,480,387. The ' extraordinary expenditure, in round numbers, includes: for the Russo- Japanese war, $202,500,000; for the building of railroads, $21,000,000; for the relief of sufferers from the bad harvest, $10,000,000; in loans for the restoration of naphtha works, $7,500,000. In the budget statement nounced that manifestocs will be issued, giving the nation the right to partici- pate in the examination of future bud- gets. The budget statement does not dodge the prevailing conditions in Russia. It is pointed out specifically that the re- eeipts from nearly all sources have been scaled down, and that, moreover, it is stated that if the disorders in the interior do not cease there may be some branches of revenue on which it will be impossible to co'unt. . RECEIPT PRECARIOUS. The budget also deals frankly with the heavy drain on the gold reserve of the State bank balances abroad, which have fallen $152,500,000 in the three months preceding January. During the last ten days of the year the gold re- serve was reduced by $30,500,000, while the issue of paper currency was increased by $40,000,000. The increase of paper issued, the statement says, w. made by the bank in an effort to come to the res- cue of the business interests which were almost paralyzed, and had been refused loans by private banks, owing to the panicky conditions and to the reduction M _ , . , _ . of the foreign credits of houses with con-t “de Sp‘mngly by one Who has a “find nections abroad. it is an-. MEN'S HATS IN CHURCH. â€"â€" Their Care a Troublesome Question Awaiting Solution. It is a matter of historical record that our forefathers in the seventeenth cen- tury were their headgear at divine ser- vice and also at dinner, but it has re- maincd for an English newspaper to testify that in its opinion gentlemen sometimes refrain from going to church . because of their hats, says the London llaltcrs‘ Gazette. A daily paper has recently suggested that the very irregular attendance of upper class males at church may be due to the respect with which they regard their headgear and the inadequate ac- commodation provided in sacred edifices for the safe bestowal of the cherished “topper.” The quote a Piccadilly hatter as say- ing, “1 receive more hats to block on Monday morning than on any otherday of the week, and judging from the ob- servations I hear, I should say that the owners benefit very little by going to church. If they place their hats under the seals they are kicked by the occu- pants of the pews behind. ladies being almost as careless as mischievous boys in this respect. Then, if they deposit ably the owner himselfâ€"is sure to sit upon them. Why can‘t every West End church have a cloak room where gentle- men can leave their hats? This sugges- tion has often been made. A small sum could be charged and devoted, let us say, to the clothing of the heathen in West. Africa.” A West End vicar who was asked if this difficulty explained why men did not go to .church gave an unsympathetic answer. “I cannot conceive,” he said, “even in these artificial and flhnicking days, of a man who would avoid going to church out of consideration for his hat. At regular intervals male members of my congregation complain to me about this matter, and l invariably tell them to wear caps." A vergcr at a neighboring church who offered as a remedy the suggestion that men should wear opera hats, told the amusing story of an experiment. “One gentleman always used to put his hat outside the door of his pew," he said; “others followed, until the whole aisle showed a row of silk hats. This was all right till one night an old gentleman who was short-sighted and infirm came late. He helped himself forward by resting his hand on each pew. In this way he kicked every hat into the aisle and ‘dribbled' his way, so to speak, up, to his seat." -o -â€"â€"-â€"-+--â€""-‘ HEALTH HINTS. Apples should be eaten to stimulate the brain. r ’ In cases of poison warm water with salt in large quantities forms a quick emetic. - A headache can often be relieved by rubbing the temples with a slice of lem- on. In extreme prostration, a small quan- tity of extract of meat in a glass of sherry or claret is a good restorative. A simple remedy for insomia is to dip a serviette or handkerchief in cold water, wring it out, and layxlt‘ across the. eyes. Eating lettuce produces sleep. A cup of cold water, with a teaspoon- ful of salt, taken upon rising in the. morning, will act as an excellent ionic and is far less trying on the system than any drug. Calcium, so important for children in the formation of bone, may be obtained by the eating of eggs, rice rhubarb, whole wheat, and the drinking of milk. An irritating cough is often caused by tilt uvula (the fleshy, conical body sus- pended from the palate over the back of the tongue) being enlarged. When this is the case, consult the doctor, as- medicines and gargles only temporar- ily check the annoyance. After bad food, the next greater cause of disease is lack of exercise. Specific cases require specific treatment always, but it is safe to say that a walk of three miles each day in all weathers is the least amount upon which health can be maintained. - ‘ Sugar makes heat, and also gives muscular energy. In times of great ex- ertion, the rapidity with which it is as similaied gives sugar a great advantage over starchy foods. Sugor should be liver. and not at- all by one affected with diabetes. the hats on the seats, some onerol\on the outâ€"1‘01in lists. LEGAL POGR or LONDON ALMOST EIGHTY THOUSAND PEOPLE IN HER l’OORHOUSES. ._...._ \Vhilc Many of Them Arc Old, Thou- sands Arc Young and Vigorous. From a London Times article on the legal poor of London the following ex- tracts are taken:â€" In dealing with the question of the legal poor of London this Christmas we have to record the dismal fact that the numbers in receipt of pauper relief in nearly every month of the past year have been greater than in any of the previous forty years comprised in the official statistics, with the exception of the period from 1807 to 1871, and that the ratio of paupers per 1,000 of the population in most months has been higher than in any year since 1874. The highest point reashed was in February, when the ratepayers were maintaining as many as 129,529 persons, of whom 77,305 were in the workhouses and 52,164 Of every 1,000 of the population 27 were paupers. The figures have fluctuated during the year, but all through they have remained very high, and until December was reached they showed considerable increases upon the large totals of 1904. Not only has there been A REMAlit'xABLE INREASE in the outdoor relief, but the rise in the numbers entering the workhouses, which has been a great feature of modern pauperism, has continued, and the de- tails given below reveal the fact that in no year in the history of the poor law has the population of the workhouses been greater. The solution of the prob- lem of how this growing and costly mass of permanent indoor pauperism is to be dealt with is becoming a very difficult one in many unions where the institu- tions are already accommodating more than their certified number; while the lavish distribution of out-relief is a ques- tion which requires immediate attention. It is gratifying, however, to be able to state that this month the official returns record a decrease of pauperism com- pared with the corresponding period ,of 1901. The reduction began in the week ended December 2, and it has continued up to the 16th inst., the date of the last. weekly return. There were then 127,- 72 persons in receipt of reliefâ€"77,622 in the workhouses, and 49,450 outside. This is a welcome reduction of 551 on the total for the corresponding week of last year. Although the largemajorily of the inmates of the London Workhouses are old-age paupers-â€"â€"the latest official re- turn, that for 1903, puts them at 48,000 over sixty years of ageâ€"there is a con- siderable sprinkling of the able-bodied. It. is an unfortunate fact that these are on the increase. As many as 9,932 re- ceived relief last year, which was 984. more than the total for the previous year, and it is, indeed, the HIGHEST NUMBER ON RECORD; while the ratio per 1.000 of the populaâ€" tion (2.1) is not exceeded in any previous year, although it was equalled in the years 1894-96. The outdoor relief lists contained 8,164 able-bodied, which was higher by 1,089 than the total for 1903-04, and greater than any previous number, the ratio per 1,000 inhabitants being 1.8, a rise of .4 on the preceding year. It is a deplorable fact that the poor law establishments of London contain near- ly 20,000 children. Of these 7,805 are being educated and trained in district. or separate schools, 3,871‘ in cottage and other homes, 2.968 are in workhouses and infirmaries, 1,748 are in institutions belonging to the managers of the Metro- politan Asylums Board, 2,970 are in training and industrial homes, 180 are in institutions for the-blind, deaf and dumb, epileptics, etc” and 125 in hospi- tals and convalescent homes for the sick. During last year the guardians of London had 37,747 children on the outâ€" door relief lists. and this Christmas there are 17,227 children under the age at 16 receiving help, as against 18,000 in December, 1904. _._.__....+.._â€".â€"- Even the man who denounces capital 1‘: :1 (union firm-rm rwhjccts inc Curse comes home to roost. ' through Coffee Drinking. Some people question the siatmcnts that coffee hurts the delicate nerves of the body. Personal experience with . . thousands prove the general statement for it was he, had opened the desk, and, true and physicians have records of igreat numbers of cases that add to the testimony. ‘ The following is from the Rockford, Ill., Register-Gazette: Dr. William Langhorst of Aurora has been treating one of the queerest cases of lost eyesight ever in history. The patient is O. A. Leach, of Beach County. I and in the last four months he has doe- tored with all of the specialists as: at I forward has that he is unable to see anything before him, but he can see plainly anything at the side of him. There have been but few cases of this kind before and they have been caused by whiskey or tobac- co. Leach has never used either, but has been a great coffee drinker and the specialists have decided that the case has been caused by this. Leach stat- ed himself that for several years he had drunk three cups of coffee for break- fast. two at noon and one at night. Ac. cording to the records of the specialists oF this country this is the first case ever caused by the use of coffee. i The nerve is ruined beyond aid an case is incurable. The fact that i... the case a queer one is that the. sight: been lost and the side Let it be remembered that the'eyes may be attacked in. one case and the stomach in the other, while in others it may be the kidneys, heart, bowels or general nervous prostration. The remedy is obvious and should be adopt- ed before too late. Quit coffee, if you show incipient dis. ease. It is easy if one can have well~bciled Postum Food Coffee to serve for the hot morning beverage. The withdrawal of the old kind of coffee that is doing the harm and the supply of the elements in the Postum which Nature uses to rebuild the broken down nerve cells, insures a quick return to the old joy of strength and health, and it's well worth while to be able again to “do tl'iings” and feel the COUNTY and "05 at 1‘3“ “mm” sight has been retained. According to well. There’s a reason for home with the fact impressed -)I’l mind that his case is incurable. A portion of the optic nerve has becnl ruined, rendering his staid so limited “’5 the doctor's statement the young man will have to give up coffee or the rest of his sight will follow and the entire nerve be rained.-Registcr-Gazette POSTUM, any-AME .;: v .. a»; .~.. .1. if. ‘. riggingâ€"“x; 1,, V